Upon reviewing the poll I posted, it appears there is a three-way tie. Everyone seems to like my "Accessories" options... so I have come up with a new plan.
In reviewing the amount that I have ever posted in a month, I think it would be wise for me to require only 3 posts a week in this challenge. Because there is a three-way tie, each of these posts can be an outfit based on one of the three accessory groups.
I am also very excited about the new year! I've been finalizing some long-term and short-term goals, and creating a vision board for myself to stay focused!
Some things I am looking forward to in 2011:
Turning 25!
Testing for 1st Brown
Multiple Fashion Shows
Summer Internship
Traveling somewhere in the Fall
Happy New Year Everyone!!!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Make Things Water Repellent
Above is a picture of a lotus leaf, a water repellent plant. The reason it stays so shockingly white in a skumy pond is because of it's being water repellent. In Oregon, we love clothing that is water repellent!
I've known for a while that you can purchase special sprays that you can spray on your tent, your shoes or whatever and make them water repellent. (Especially good for white fabrics, keeps them looking cleaner longer - just like the lotus!) What I didn't know until today, is that you can purchase a wash-in water repellent treatment, and treat your fabric from home!
Today I had the opportunity to visit the Rain Shed in Corvallis, looking for what fabric I am going to use for my line for the upcoming fashion show. I was informed that I could pick a fabric that didn't already have the treatment and do it myself!
The directions are on the bottle, and you apply this treatment to any fabric or even clothing you already have that might be losing it's ability to be water repellent! This might be old news to some people, but I am very excited about this!
Expect exciting things when I design my Spring collection! :D
Monday, December 20, 2010
Dressing for different body types
This is a topic that I really need to research further. My career goal is to create an outdoor brand for women specifically for women who disc golf. As I have played with many different women at many different skill levels I have come to realize that disc golf does not create a specific body type like other sports. These women can be all different shapes and sizes, even at the professional level. I want to design for all of these women.
Because I have absolutely no experience in dressing people of different body types, it is going to take some researching on my part. The other day my sisters and I were watching the movie HairSpray, and noticed how good Queen Latifah looks in this dress:
Nevermind John Travolta dressed as a woman there...
I'm still trying to analyze all the reasons why this dress looks so good on her, because I know it would definitely not look that good on me. First of all, she has a chest and this dress does an excellent job of emphasizing this. I think the flowing fabric helps give hint to a waist and shape without showing every curve.
What do you think?
Because I have absolutely no experience in dressing people of different body types, it is going to take some researching on my part. The other day my sisters and I were watching the movie HairSpray, and noticed how good Queen Latifah looks in this dress:
Nevermind John Travolta dressed as a woman there...
I'm still trying to analyze all the reasons why this dress looks so good on her, because I know it would definitely not look that good on me. First of all, she has a chest and this dress does an excellent job of emphasizing this. I think the flowing fabric helps give hint to a waist and shape without showing every curve.
What do you think?
Friday, December 17, 2010
New Year Blog ideas....
Since I've started writing on this blog so much, it has got me to thinking about why I write. For my small audience, I have heard that some enjoy hearing about what's going on in my life because they don't get to see me all the time, and hopefully for others they get some random bits of information that they might not have otherwise heard about.
On my side of things, writing is very therapeutic. I am fairly consistent at keeping a journal, it's nice to rant to the empty pages than to a friend or family member, while remaining sane. For this blog, I have found it to be therapeutic in a different way. When I am consistently writing, I think a lot about things I might want to post a blog about. Sometimes that can be annoying, but right now I'm trying to re-wire my mind to stop thinking about some stupid guy and think about things that matter to me. I am happy to report that this blog helps with that!
So now onto my real reason for this post! One of the blog's I read now, Chic Steals, recently did a 30 day outfit challenge. At first I thought she was just posting her outfits, which is cool, but not something I would ever want to do. After reading her post summarizing the 30 Day Challenge, I learned that each day she was incorporating something DIY and pulling out stuff from the back of her closet. I was really impressed with this idea!
Now it has me thinking. I have lots of clothing and accessories that I do not wear very often, perhaps a challenge would be fun! I have a couple ideas for a challenge for the month of January, please read through the ideas and vote on which one you think I should do :)
Accessories Challenge: I have lots of hats, scarves and jewelry that I seldom wear. My idea for this one is to pick one of the above mentioned items (hat, scarf or jewelry) and be sure to incorporate a different one every day for the month of January. For hats, I have so many! And a lot of different styles, so it would not become a post featuring all my different baseball caps :)
For scarves, I also have many. I think this idea would challenge me in discovering new ways to wear scarves because I wouldn't want to go to school wearing it the same way every single day.
And then there is jewelry. This would probably be the least challenging of the accessories, but my plan would be to pick out whatever jewelry I have to wear that day and design my outfit around it. Could be interesting.
Clubwear to Everyday wear Challenge: This challenge is simply taking any of my clubwear clothing and finding a way to wear it as everyday clothing. I have this problem where I like to buy fun and flashy clothes to go out in, but then my everyday wardrobe is lacking. I think this one would be fun, and I promise I won't come to school looking like a hooker, Madonna, star trek whore, or anything else I have been accused of while out!
Alright readers! Let me know what you think I should do! Please vote on the poll to the right!!
On my side of things, writing is very therapeutic. I am fairly consistent at keeping a journal, it's nice to rant to the empty pages than to a friend or family member, while remaining sane. For this blog, I have found it to be therapeutic in a different way. When I am consistently writing, I think a lot about things I might want to post a blog about. Sometimes that can be annoying, but right now I'm trying to re-wire my mind to stop thinking about some stupid guy and think about things that matter to me. I am happy to report that this blog helps with that!
So now onto my real reason for this post! One of the blog's I read now, Chic Steals, recently did a 30 day outfit challenge. At first I thought she was just posting her outfits, which is cool, but not something I would ever want to do. After reading her post summarizing the 30 Day Challenge, I learned that each day she was incorporating something DIY and pulling out stuff from the back of her closet. I was really impressed with this idea!
Now it has me thinking. I have lots of clothing and accessories that I do not wear very often, perhaps a challenge would be fun! I have a couple ideas for a challenge for the month of January, please read through the ideas and vote on which one you think I should do :)
Accessories Challenge: I have lots of hats, scarves and jewelry that I seldom wear. My idea for this one is to pick one of the above mentioned items (hat, scarf or jewelry) and be sure to incorporate a different one every day for the month of January. For hats, I have so many! And a lot of different styles, so it would not become a post featuring all my different baseball caps :)
For scarves, I also have many. I think this idea would challenge me in discovering new ways to wear scarves because I wouldn't want to go to school wearing it the same way every single day.
And then there is jewelry. This would probably be the least challenging of the accessories, but my plan would be to pick out whatever jewelry I have to wear that day and design my outfit around it. Could be interesting.
Clubwear to Everyday wear Challenge: This challenge is simply taking any of my clubwear clothing and finding a way to wear it as everyday clothing. I have this problem where I like to buy fun and flashy clothes to go out in, but then my everyday wardrobe is lacking. I think this one would be fun, and I promise I won't come to school looking like a hooker, Madonna, star trek whore, or anything else I have been accused of while out!
Alright readers! Let me know what you think I should do! Please vote on the poll to the right!!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Talent!
I finally created an Etsy account, because I wanted to buy my scarf from Heidi's shop and be able to write her a review! (It was to help her out, but by the time I got to it, she already had 3 other good reviews! Way to go Heidi!)
Upon exploring the website further, not only did I find other amazing things that I'm having a hard time convincing I can live without, but so many of my other friends have their own shops on there!
Angie's store has cute Christmas cards, Jennifer's store has some super cute knitted hats, and Nick and Hanna's store has cute knitted gifts! Here are two things that I should probably proceed to purchase quickly:
Cute hat from Jennifer's store!
Adorable hair accessory from Hanna and Nick's store!
On a side note, I love how you can know a lot about people but you still don't know everything. I love being able to discover new amazing things about my friends! Now go check out these talented people!!
Upon exploring the website further, not only did I find other amazing things that I'm having a hard time convincing I can live without, but so many of my other friends have their own shops on there!
Angie's store has cute Christmas cards, Jennifer's store has some super cute knitted hats, and Nick and Hanna's store has cute knitted gifts! Here are two things that I should probably proceed to purchase quickly:
Cute hat from Jennifer's store!
Adorable hair accessory from Hanna and Nick's store!
On a side note, I love how you can know a lot about people but you still don't know everything. I love being able to discover new amazing things about my friends! Now go check out these talented people!!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A Loyal Dog
I recently watched the movie Hachi: A Dog's Tale with my family. It's Christmas break, so I'm watching movies :)
Hachi was filmed in 2009 starring Richard Gere and Joan Allen. I was a little reluctant to want to watch this movie. My family came back from their day with a stack of movies, none looked very promising to me. Across the cover of this one said the immortal words "Based on a True Story," so it was obviously my mother's first choice.
I was pleasantly surprised, because I actually enjoyed the movie. Here was a movie with a fairly simple plot about a dog, that was done well (much better than that ridiculous Marley and Me). I was ready to give this movie a thumbs up until the end of the film, when the words on the screen said that the true story was actually about a Japanese professor at a Japanese train station. Pfft.
If you know much about be, then you know that I am currently obsessed with all things Asian, most of all Japan. So to find out that this movie could have actually been in a Japanese setting really put me out! To think I was excited about the one Japanese character in the film, and the discussion of the Japanese history of the dog!
If you don't want me to ruin the movie for you by totally revealing the plot, please, read no further. The real story of the dog Hachi started when he was born in Odate, Japan, in the Akita prefecture in November of 1923. He was sold to Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, an agricultural engineer professor at the University of Tokyo.
From what information I can gather between the film, the ever reliable Wikipedia, and other random websites, is that Hachi would walk with his master to Shibuya station everyday, go home, then at the end of the day come back to the station to pick him up. After two years of owning the dog, one day the professor boarded the train and then never came back. Hachiko waited for him to return, in fact, this dog came back to the station every day for nine years after his master died, every day until he died.
The loyalty of this dog is what makes this story so famous, famous in Japan. According to what I've read, there was more than one newspaper article printed up about the dog while he was alive, praising him for his loyalty. After the dog's death their was a film made in Japan in 1987 (Hachiko Monogatari). A bronze statue has been placed at the Shibuya station and is one of the most popular meeting places in Japan.
Every year in April there is a ceremony at this statue for this dog, where lots of dog lovers from all over Japan come to participate. There are also two other statues of this dog in Japan, one in Odate where he was born and one in front of the Akita Dog Museum. (Akita is the breed of dog that Hachi was, also Japanese).
This movie did lead me to a neat bit of history about Japan, so I am happy about that. I have one more thing to add to my list of places to visit when I go to Japan!(Maybe I could meet someone at Hachi's statue!)
Here is the statue of Hachi:
This post makes me think of two things: (1)this seems to me like the second Japanese movie remake that Richard Gere is a part of, and (2) we have an American dog hero statue... Balto. Perhaps I'll post about it in the future.
Hachi was filmed in 2009 starring Richard Gere and Joan Allen. I was a little reluctant to want to watch this movie. My family came back from their day with a stack of movies, none looked very promising to me. Across the cover of this one said the immortal words "Based on a True Story," so it was obviously my mother's first choice.
I was pleasantly surprised, because I actually enjoyed the movie. Here was a movie with a fairly simple plot about a dog, that was done well (much better than that ridiculous Marley and Me). I was ready to give this movie a thumbs up until the end of the film, when the words on the screen said that the true story was actually about a Japanese professor at a Japanese train station. Pfft.
If you know much about be, then you know that I am currently obsessed with all things Asian, most of all Japan. So to find out that this movie could have actually been in a Japanese setting really put me out! To think I was excited about the one Japanese character in the film, and the discussion of the Japanese history of the dog!
If you don't want me to ruin the movie for you by totally revealing the plot, please, read no further. The real story of the dog Hachi started when he was born in Odate, Japan, in the Akita prefecture in November of 1923. He was sold to Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, an agricultural engineer professor at the University of Tokyo.
From what information I can gather between the film, the ever reliable Wikipedia, and other random websites, is that Hachi would walk with his master to Shibuya station everyday, go home, then at the end of the day come back to the station to pick him up. After two years of owning the dog, one day the professor boarded the train and then never came back. Hachiko waited for him to return, in fact, this dog came back to the station every day for nine years after his master died, every day until he died.
The loyalty of this dog is what makes this story so famous, famous in Japan. According to what I've read, there was more than one newspaper article printed up about the dog while he was alive, praising him for his loyalty. After the dog's death their was a film made in Japan in 1987 (Hachiko Monogatari). A bronze statue has been placed at the Shibuya station and is one of the most popular meeting places in Japan.
Every year in April there is a ceremony at this statue for this dog, where lots of dog lovers from all over Japan come to participate. There are also two other statues of this dog in Japan, one in Odate where he was born and one in front of the Akita Dog Museum. (Akita is the breed of dog that Hachi was, also Japanese).
This movie did lead me to a neat bit of history about Japan, so I am happy about that. I have one more thing to add to my list of places to visit when I go to Japan!(Maybe I could meet someone at Hachi's statue!)
Here is the statue of Hachi:
This post makes me think of two things: (1)this seems to me like the second Japanese movie remake that Richard Gere is a part of, and (2) we have an American dog hero statue... Balto. Perhaps I'll post about it in the future.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Jingle Bell Run
Today two of my sisters participated in the Jingle Bell Run down in Eugene. I didn't get to go watch them run, but they did very well in their races!
Devynn took first in her age group for the 5k, and Kambria was the first female in for the 8k. Here's a picture of their cool fun run shirts and their prizes!
I ran this race, probably two years ago, and it was a fun race. If I remember right, there's a nature reserve/park you run through which makes it better than just a typical road run. It's also cool to see how far the event has come along. The year I did it, they gave each runner tiny little bells to fasten on them wherever. This year, they had bigger bells and two different types of shirts for the runners. As you can see in the picture, first place got "crowned" with a wire fir tree branch, and some cool prizes like sparking cider and a bucket of candy.
All of fall term I had been meaning to keep up with my running, but I never even got started. Part of the problem is when you are so busy with everything else (like school & your career) you push running aside to get in more time to do homework. I also value my sleep, so running gets further down the priority list.
My plan is to run this winter break so it will be easier to keep up during winter term. If I keep it up all year I'll plan on doing this race next year, I'm sure it will be even better!
Until then, I'll be keeping an eye on goodrace.com for some upcoming races :)
Devynn took first in her age group for the 5k, and Kambria was the first female in for the 8k. Here's a picture of their cool fun run shirts and their prizes!
I ran this race, probably two years ago, and it was a fun race. If I remember right, there's a nature reserve/park you run through which makes it better than just a typical road run. It's also cool to see how far the event has come along. The year I did it, they gave each runner tiny little bells to fasten on them wherever. This year, they had bigger bells and two different types of shirts for the runners. As you can see in the picture, first place got "crowned" with a wire fir tree branch, and some cool prizes like sparking cider and a bucket of candy.
All of fall term I had been meaning to keep up with my running, but I never even got started. Part of the problem is when you are so busy with everything else (like school & your career) you push running aside to get in more time to do homework. I also value my sleep, so running gets further down the priority list.
My plan is to run this winter break so it will be easier to keep up during winter term. If I keep it up all year I'll plan on doing this race next year, I'm sure it will be even better!
Until then, I'll be keeping an eye on goodrace.com for some upcoming races :)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Hope Open
So I officially got everything finished up with the Hope Open this last week, I guess that means I should post about how it went.
If you don't know, The Hope Open is a disc golf tournament that I directed on October 30th with all funds raised benefiting the American Cancer Society. The event had a good turn out, I was pretty worried about making ends meet the week before when there wasn't even half as many signed up as ended up showing up to the event.
This was my second year running this event, and every year I get to witness how amazing people can be in support of a good cause. One person was telling me how important this event was to them, her dad had gone through cancer and treatment and was deemed clear of it this year, but it was a hard process to go through. She assumed that I must have been touched by this disease in some dramatic way to be putting on this event.
The truth is, I am blessed to be healthy and have a healthy family. My grandpa last year went through cancer treatment, but is doing very well now. The people in my life that are affected with cancer have been at a distance from me, so I haven't had to feel the pain that so many people have. I am thankful for that, because I know that day may come sooner than I hope. I love being able to put this simple, fun event on and have people bring the meaning into it.
There was a couple of guys who came down to play, and were so excited to play that they wore pink, brought pink cupcakes for everyone, and bottles of water! It was wonderful seeing them get so excited about raising money for this event. A brother and sister donated a pair of Blazer tickets to the raffle, which was wonderful! The raffle this year was astonishing with how much stuff people and businesses donated.
Honor Signs is the other place where I get to find out more about the people in the disc golf community. These Honor Signs are the signs at each tee that are dedicated to people in our lives who have been touched by cancer. People who couldn't make the event donated signs, and people who were at the event donated signs. I think that when we view the little circle of our life, we think that cancer has touched us in a big way. When you walk through the disc golf course and see all of these signs, it is plain to see that so many lives have been touched.
The Hope Open ended up raising over $2,000 for the American Cancer Society! It was a great event and I look forward to doing it again next year!
Here are some lovely photos that Jennifer M was gracious enough to come and take! They turned out wonderful!
I have some left over shirts, discs, and towels if you are interested in contributing! All the money from this will go towards next year's event :)
(The other benefit of running this event is coming up with a creative logo design!)
If you don't know, The Hope Open is a disc golf tournament that I directed on October 30th with all funds raised benefiting the American Cancer Society. The event had a good turn out, I was pretty worried about making ends meet the week before when there wasn't even half as many signed up as ended up showing up to the event.
This was my second year running this event, and every year I get to witness how amazing people can be in support of a good cause. One person was telling me how important this event was to them, her dad had gone through cancer and treatment and was deemed clear of it this year, but it was a hard process to go through. She assumed that I must have been touched by this disease in some dramatic way to be putting on this event.
The truth is, I am blessed to be healthy and have a healthy family. My grandpa last year went through cancer treatment, but is doing very well now. The people in my life that are affected with cancer have been at a distance from me, so I haven't had to feel the pain that so many people have. I am thankful for that, because I know that day may come sooner than I hope. I love being able to put this simple, fun event on and have people bring the meaning into it.
There was a couple of guys who came down to play, and were so excited to play that they wore pink, brought pink cupcakes for everyone, and bottles of water! It was wonderful seeing them get so excited about raising money for this event. A brother and sister donated a pair of Blazer tickets to the raffle, which was wonderful! The raffle this year was astonishing with how much stuff people and businesses donated.
Honor Signs is the other place where I get to find out more about the people in the disc golf community. These Honor Signs are the signs at each tee that are dedicated to people in our lives who have been touched by cancer. People who couldn't make the event donated signs, and people who were at the event donated signs. I think that when we view the little circle of our life, we think that cancer has touched us in a big way. When you walk through the disc golf course and see all of these signs, it is plain to see that so many lives have been touched.
The Hope Open ended up raising over $2,000 for the American Cancer Society! It was a great event and I look forward to doing it again next year!
Here are some lovely photos that Jennifer M was gracious enough to come and take! They turned out wonderful!
I have some left over shirts, discs, and towels if you are interested in contributing! All the money from this will go towards next year's event :)
(The other benefit of running this event is coming up with a creative logo design!)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
My Christmas List
Isn't it interesting that it get to be the holiday season, the time when we are supposed to be thankful for the family and friends we have, that it is still all about us? I mean, there is really no getting away from it in American Culture. I notice it even more after studying retail strategies for my final tomorrow....
Another reason I can't help but to think about me, is my parents requested a Christmas list that I can email them. They want to stay in and do all of their Christmas shopping online. I have to say, it's been pretty fun taking a break and seeing what sort of things I want online.
But really, if my family all went together and bought me a MacBook Pro, with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, I would be one happy camper. Probably more than just a happy camper.
But here are some fun things I found while online window shopping :)
From Onitsuka Tiger (Asics):
From Tokidoki & Asics:
From Nike:
And then of course, an endless list of music available on YesAsia! I guess an iTunes gift card would work too :)
Now to back to figuring out what to get everyone else!
Another reason I can't help but to think about me, is my parents requested a Christmas list that I can email them. They want to stay in and do all of their Christmas shopping online. I have to say, it's been pretty fun taking a break and seeing what sort of things I want online.
But really, if my family all went together and bought me a MacBook Pro, with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, I would be one happy camper. Probably more than just a happy camper.
But here are some fun things I found while online window shopping :)
From Onitsuka Tiger (Asics):
From Tokidoki & Asics:
From Nike:
And then of course, an endless list of music available on YesAsia! I guess an iTunes gift card would work too :)
Now to back to figuring out what to get everyone else!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Red Dress Fashion Show
The 2nd Annual World AIDS Day Red Dress Fashion Show took place November 30th. There were lots of designers and lots of amazing designs! It was a lot of fun to see how amazing my designer friends are!
One of my favorite dresses of the show was Ashley Bate's dress:
I've heard comments from people that they want this dress as their wedding dress in white or ivory. It's absolutely stunning, and you can really see all the time and effort she put into it.
My dress turned out pretty well, but my original design had more to it and I just ran out of time. My sister Kambria was wonderful enough to model for me again this year. She did a good job! (She did her hair and make up, AMAZING!)
And here is a photo of Ashley, Missy, and I and our beautiful dresses! I love fashion shows!
One of my favorite dresses of the show was Ashley Bate's dress:
I've heard comments from people that they want this dress as their wedding dress in white or ivory. It's absolutely stunning, and you can really see all the time and effort she put into it.
My dress turned out pretty well, but my original design had more to it and I just ran out of time. My sister Kambria was wonderful enough to model for me again this year. She did a good job! (She did her hair and make up, AMAZING!)
And here is a photo of Ashley, Missy, and I and our beautiful dresses! I love fashion shows!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Design world at Oregon State
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending an informational session by Oregon State's Design and Human Environment (the department I belong to) and the Engineering department presented to Alumni from Nike and Columbia Sportswear.
I got to hear about just how awesome Engineering is at Oregon State. I've always heard that they have an excellent program, but it was pretty cool to find out just how amazing it is.
The coolest part to me, was to find out how awesome the DHE department is. Currently, the faculty of DHE are trying to combine with graphic design and create the College of Design within the university. Not only that, but there is a tremendous amount of research that goes on in DHE that I had no idea about. It makes me feel proud to be attending Oregon State.
The other great part about this event, was that I got to show off my amazing shoe dress and talk a little about that and about other projects I've done at OSU, all in front of people from Nike and Columbia. I was happy to add some more business cards to my contact stack :)
Since I haven't posted a picture of my shoe dress on this blog before, here's a pic:
It's always fun to have other people get excited about something you've made. It's really exciting that I made this dress for a show last February and I still get to show it off, thanks to the great people at Oregon State taking care of their students.
A friend of mine sent me a link to an article about what OSU's design department is doing, you should check it out!
I got to hear about just how awesome Engineering is at Oregon State. I've always heard that they have an excellent program, but it was pretty cool to find out just how amazing it is.
The coolest part to me, was to find out how awesome the DHE department is. Currently, the faculty of DHE are trying to combine with graphic design and create the College of Design within the university. Not only that, but there is a tremendous amount of research that goes on in DHE that I had no idea about. It makes me feel proud to be attending Oregon State.
The other great part about this event, was that I got to show off my amazing shoe dress and talk a little about that and about other projects I've done at OSU, all in front of people from Nike and Columbia. I was happy to add some more business cards to my contact stack :)
Since I haven't posted a picture of my shoe dress on this blog before, here's a pic:
It's always fun to have other people get excited about something you've made. It's really exciting that I made this dress for a show last February and I still get to show it off, thanks to the great people at Oregon State taking care of their students.
A friend of mine sent me a link to an article about what OSU's design department is doing, you should check it out!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Winter Collection Preview
So finally I have produced something in my flat pattern class that I am happy to show off! This piece is a vest that I designed (specifically for disc golfing women in the winter), that will be in a fashion show in January at OSU (The Rain Check). This version of the vest is just the muslin/broadcloth version, so during Christmas break all of the yellow you see will be some lovely rain resistant fabric and the white and the rest of the inside will be some medium weight wool. I can't wait to go to the Rain Shed and see what sort of color options I'll have!
For now, enjoy these photos! Next week there should be a post about the red dress I'm making(and the Red Dress Fashion Show).
Front view: Has button-straps and a zipper for the closure.
Back: iPod pocket covered with the staps for an aesthetic appeal.
Close up on how the closure works.
Hope you've enjoyed! :D
For now, enjoy these photos! Next week there should be a post about the red dress I'm making(and the Red Dress Fashion Show).
Front view: Has button-straps and a zipper for the closure.
Back: iPod pocket covered with the staps for an aesthetic appeal.
Close up on how the closure works.
Hope you've enjoyed! :D
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Adventures in Japantown
Back in September, I had the opportunity to go and visit my baby sister in San Francisco and attend the "J-Pop Festival" held in Japantown. It was a great experience and a lot of fun! The funny part about our trip, is that we had intended on going to San Francisco to take part in the "Moon Festival" held in Chinatown. Needless to say we spent pretty much the entire weekend in Japantown.
One of the exciting attractions for the J-pop festival, was that they had Mori Chack there signing t-shirts! What? You don't know who Mori Chack is? Mori Chack is the man who created Gloomy Bears. Let me give you a little background about Gloomy Bears.
I had not even heard of Gloomy Bears until early September, when I was staying at a friend's house for a disc golf tournament. One of the other ladies that was there, Miranda, filled me in on the exciting tale of Gloomy Bears. I noticed a cute little bear on her cell phone, and asked her about it. Miranda is a person full of amazing life experiences, like many people. If I were to start writing biographies on people, I would love to write one on Miranda, it seems that every time I spend time with her, I learn something new.
One of the experiences that Miranda had was living in Japan for a time as an Illustrator. When Miranda was telling me about Gloomy Bears she began by explaining that there is a district in Japan, where artists gather to sell their art. They might be really good, really bad, but they are all there. Apparently, Mori Chack started there as an artist, until someone discovered his unique artwork and the story behind it.
Gloomy was an abandoned Grizzly bear, who was adopted by the kid, Pitty. This child loved and cared for Gloomy, and Gloomy loved Pitty. Gloomy grew older and started growing claws, and teeth, and because bears will be bears, he attacks Pitty.
So all of this artwork that Mori Chack created was this adorable pink bear gruesomely attacking children, specifically, a little boy named Pitty. Miranda told me about a new Japanese store that opened up in the Bend area, and that when she made her first visit she told the cashier that she was looking for one thing. If they did not have this one thing she would not consider them a legitimate Japanese store. She asked if they had any Gloomy Bears, and sure enough, they had a whole wall full of Gloomy Bear merchandise. This is where Miranda found her cute little keychains that were on her phone and her keys.
I didn't end up being able to get an autographed t-shirt by Mori Chack, because the time we got there all of the shirts were sold out and they weren't allowing any other merchandise to get signed. But I did get a some sweet pictures:
Mori Chack signing a bear's head, there is even a little drawing on it! :)
Mori Chack and a fan!
And this was the back of her hat, so awesome!
In our shopping around Japantown, I found some of my own must-have Gloomy Bear merchandise:
I know that it's kind of horrible, the idea of this bear beating up this kid, but it really appeals to me. I think that part of it is that I have never understood the infatuation with Teddy Bears, because bears are only kind of cute and they aren't sweet either (same with Hippos, but that's another story). These Gloomy bears are ridiculously adorable, but still have the realistic side that they are bears and they are not nice.
One of the exciting attractions for the J-pop festival, was that they had Mori Chack there signing t-shirts! What? You don't know who Mori Chack is? Mori Chack is the man who created Gloomy Bears. Let me give you a little background about Gloomy Bears.
I had not even heard of Gloomy Bears until early September, when I was staying at a friend's house for a disc golf tournament. One of the other ladies that was there, Miranda, filled me in on the exciting tale of Gloomy Bears. I noticed a cute little bear on her cell phone, and asked her about it. Miranda is a person full of amazing life experiences, like many people. If I were to start writing biographies on people, I would love to write one on Miranda, it seems that every time I spend time with her, I learn something new.
One of the experiences that Miranda had was living in Japan for a time as an Illustrator. When Miranda was telling me about Gloomy Bears she began by explaining that there is a district in Japan, where artists gather to sell their art. They might be really good, really bad, but they are all there. Apparently, Mori Chack started there as an artist, until someone discovered his unique artwork and the story behind it.
Gloomy was an abandoned Grizzly bear, who was adopted by the kid, Pitty. This child loved and cared for Gloomy, and Gloomy loved Pitty. Gloomy grew older and started growing claws, and teeth, and because bears will be bears, he attacks Pitty.
So all of this artwork that Mori Chack created was this adorable pink bear gruesomely attacking children, specifically, a little boy named Pitty. Miranda told me about a new Japanese store that opened up in the Bend area, and that when she made her first visit she told the cashier that she was looking for one thing. If they did not have this one thing she would not consider them a legitimate Japanese store. She asked if they had any Gloomy Bears, and sure enough, they had a whole wall full of Gloomy Bear merchandise. This is where Miranda found her cute little keychains that were on her phone and her keys.
I didn't end up being able to get an autographed t-shirt by Mori Chack, because the time we got there all of the shirts were sold out and they weren't allowing any other merchandise to get signed. But I did get a some sweet pictures:
Mori Chack signing a bear's head, there is even a little drawing on it! :)
Mori Chack and a fan!
And this was the back of her hat, so awesome!
In our shopping around Japantown, I found some of my own must-have Gloomy Bear merchandise:
I know that it's kind of horrible, the idea of this bear beating up this kid, but it really appeals to me. I think that part of it is that I have never understood the infatuation with Teddy Bears, because bears are only kind of cute and they aren't sweet either (same with Hippos, but that's another story). These Gloomy bears are ridiculously adorable, but still have the realistic side that they are bears and they are not nice.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Buttons from the Rainforest
In one of the classes I am currently taking at OSU, my professor informed us about a sustainable product called the Tagua nut. She even brought some samples in of the nut, and some jewelry and buttons made from the nut. This nut makes products that feel essentially like plastic, and used to be used in place of plastic before plastic came along.
The business of apparel is not the most sustainable, but companies continue to try and find ways to make it better. The great thing about using these buttons, is that it gives one more reason to not cut down these trees in the rain forest.
Here is what the nuts look like:
Here is some jewelry and buttons from those nuts:
The company mentioned in class that does a lot of other cool things, and uses these buttons is Winter Sun from Ecuador.
I looked around a bit on Joann's website and did not see any Tagua nut buttons. They do however sell coconut buttons and wood buttons. It seems like it's pretty easy to find these buttons on the internet, perhaps they will be included on my future collections for at least one of the many fashion shows this year!
Here are a few websites that have them:
Wood Buttons
Near Sea Naturals
Jimmy Bean's Wool
One World Button Supply (Wholesale Company)
Eco Butterfly
The business of apparel is not the most sustainable, but companies continue to try and find ways to make it better. The great thing about using these buttons, is that it gives one more reason to not cut down these trees in the rain forest.
Here is what the nuts look like:
Here is some jewelry and buttons from those nuts:
The company mentioned in class that does a lot of other cool things, and uses these buttons is Winter Sun from Ecuador.
I looked around a bit on Joann's website and did not see any Tagua nut buttons. They do however sell coconut buttons and wood buttons. It seems like it's pretty easy to find these buttons on the internet, perhaps they will be included on my future collections for at least one of the many fashion shows this year!
Here are a few websites that have them:
Wood Buttons
Near Sea Naturals
Jimmy Bean's Wool
One World Button Supply (Wholesale Company)
Eco Butterfly
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
More links!
I know I just updated my list of blogs and links (and will probably continue to do so as I keep learning of new cool things) but I had completely overlooked adding this particular store to my link list!
One of my friends, Heidi, has a new Etsy store up! It's called Heroma's Hands. She has a hobby of knitting, and has decided to put her hobby to work for her! Even though I have a strong policy against modeling (because I am a designer!), I decided to help out my friend and model her scarves and other knits. The photos turned out great, and you should definitely take a look at her store!
Here are a couple of items, with yours truly as the model:
This is the scarf that is reserved for me! It's unique because its knitted lengthwise instead of widthwise! Probably the bad part of modeling...
Go check out her store!!!
One of my friends, Heidi, has a new Etsy store up! It's called Heroma's Hands. She has a hobby of knitting, and has decided to put her hobby to work for her! Even though I have a strong policy against modeling (because I am a designer!), I decided to help out my friend and model her scarves and other knits. The photos turned out great, and you should definitely take a look at her store!
Here are a couple of items, with yours truly as the model:
This is the scarf that is reserved for me! It's unique because its knitted lengthwise instead of widthwise! Probably the bad part of modeling...
Go check out her store!!!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Buzzzing mailbox!
Today I checked my mailbox and guess what I found? I got the package with my free disc inside!! So now I can assure you that it was not a hoax!
It's a nice disc, I look forward to throwing it in the future. Looks nice against my curtains doesn't it?
So if you are in the market for relatively cheap discs that are Discraft, DiscWing, Gateway or Lightning... discgolfstation.com is the place for you! They also carry some other disc golf products like bags and things. Take a look around the website, they seem to be doing a lot of promotions to get their name out there!
It's a nice disc, I look forward to throwing it in the future. Looks nice against my curtains doesn't it?
So if you are in the market for relatively cheap discs that are Discraft, DiscWing, Gateway or Lightning... discgolfstation.com is the place for you! They also carry some other disc golf products like bags and things. Take a look around the website, they seem to be doing a lot of promotions to get their name out there!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
People, blogs, and links!
It's about time I update my blog a little bit. First, I would like to introduce some awesome people who's blogs I've been reading and I think you should definitely take a peek at. The first blog is Chic Steals, which is written by Carly J. Cais. I had the pleasure of meeting her at Portland Fashion Week back in October. She is full of really great fashion information, and I'm happy to have a different perspective for viewing designers.
The reason I got to meet this lady was all because of my friend Amanda, who writes Grishley's. Both her and Nicole (author of Cut & Sew) are talented young women I get to take classes with. Go take a look at their blogs too!
The main reason I am updating my links and blogs, is because a disc golf store called discgolfstation.com contacted me about posting a link about them in my blog if they gave me a disc. I was first of all, very excited and a bit surprised that they found me through my blog! They are sending me a lightweight Buzzz, and I'll be sure to post again when I actually get it!
The last new link I want to mention is a link to an online store called Yes Asia! It is so amazing! I have had a really difficult time finding some of the Japanese artists I've become addicted to over Youtube on the internet. This website not only has all of these awesome music artists, but they also have DVDs of the Taiwanese drama "Basketball" (or Bullfighting) that I watched over the summer. (Be careful to start watching, it is very addicting and not all of the episodes are available on youtube!) Maybe I can start making a list on here of what I want for Christmas/ Birthday! :D
The reason I got to meet this lady was all because of my friend Amanda, who writes Grishley's. Both her and Nicole (author of Cut & Sew) are talented young women I get to take classes with. Go take a look at their blogs too!
The main reason I am updating my links and blogs, is because a disc golf store called discgolfstation.com contacted me about posting a link about them in my blog if they gave me a disc. I was first of all, very excited and a bit surprised that they found me through my blog! They are sending me a lightweight Buzzz, and I'll be sure to post again when I actually get it!
The last new link I want to mention is a link to an online store called Yes Asia! It is so amazing! I have had a really difficult time finding some of the Japanese artists I've become addicted to over Youtube on the internet. This website not only has all of these awesome music artists, but they also have DVDs of the Taiwanese drama "Basketball" (or Bullfighting) that I watched over the summer. (Be careful to start watching, it is very addicting and not all of the episodes are available on youtube!) Maybe I can start making a list on here of what I want for Christmas/ Birthday! :D
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
More Disc Art
Last night I stayed up waaay too late, but I had the opportunity to delve into yet another type of artwork: the art of dyeing discs. Being in the disc golf world I know quite a few people who dye their own discs. Some people are really talented and do some amazing work that they sell, and some people like to just make their discs look different than everyone else's.
Widye.com is a company that custom dyes discs, and has donated some great dyed discs to my disc golf event (Hope Open) for the past two years. This is one of my favorites:
There was also someone who dyed me an amazing disc with the M*A*S*H* cast on it, and a neat red cross in the back. I'll need to take a picture with something other than my phone before I post it.
Here is my first dye-job from last night (You can see how messy my desk really is...):
It was a pretty easy process, especially since my friends had everything and did all the necessary research. First thing we did was take off the hot-press stamp of the logo with acetone, which is really easy if you let your disc set in the acetone for a couple minutes (just not too long, acetone will eat the disc!). The next thing was to decided what color of dye to use, then put it in a pan and heat it up on the stove. It only needs to get as warm so you can still touch it, so definitely not boiling. As the dye was heating up, I came up with my design and cut it out on some contact paper (one side is sticky- you stick it to your disc, my friends got it pretty cheap at Home Depot). After sticking the contact paper on my disc where I did not want the dye to hit, I put the disc face down into the pan so it was floating on top. Then all you do is wait for 10 - 15 minutes, and see how it looks! I think I waited a little longer and added in more dye so it was dark enough. Then I rinsed it off with warm water in the sink, took of the contact paper, and wah la! I have a pretty disc!
I'm excited to try this again in the future, when I can put some more time into thinking of cool designs and play with more than one color. Definitely different than submitting designs to a company to get hot stamped on a disc!
Widye.com is a company that custom dyes discs, and has donated some great dyed discs to my disc golf event (Hope Open) for the past two years. This is one of my favorites:
There was also someone who dyed me an amazing disc with the M*A*S*H* cast on it, and a neat red cross in the back. I'll need to take a picture with something other than my phone before I post it.
Here is my first dye-job from last night (You can see how messy my desk really is...):
It was a pretty easy process, especially since my friends had everything and did all the necessary research. First thing we did was take off the hot-press stamp of the logo with acetone, which is really easy if you let your disc set in the acetone for a couple minutes (just not too long, acetone will eat the disc!). The next thing was to decided what color of dye to use, then put it in a pan and heat it up on the stove. It only needs to get as warm so you can still touch it, so definitely not boiling. As the dye was heating up, I came up with my design and cut it out on some contact paper (one side is sticky- you stick it to your disc, my friends got it pretty cheap at Home Depot). After sticking the contact paper on my disc where I did not want the dye to hit, I put the disc face down into the pan so it was floating on top. Then all you do is wait for 10 - 15 minutes, and see how it looks! I think I waited a little longer and added in more dye so it was dark enough. Then I rinsed it off with warm water in the sink, took of the contact paper, and wah la! I have a pretty disc!
I'm excited to try this again in the future, when I can put some more time into thinking of cool designs and play with more than one color. Definitely different than submitting designs to a company to get hot stamped on a disc!
Monday, November 8, 2010
November
I find it so odd that everyone gets into the writing mood in November. November is the month for writing Novels, and apparently for posting a blog everyday. I had no idea. Well, that's not completely true. A couple years ago, I did create an account for NaNoWriMo, but that's about as far as I got.
Today I am in the mood to write, but all of those could-be blogs that are floating around in my head require a little research, or uploading pictures, or other terribly difficult tasks like that. So instead I start reading what my friends are writing about. Everyone has so many interesting things going on in their life, it's great to hear about it.
In my life, I am currently swamped at school with one of the busiest terms of college I have ever had. This was unexpected, and I am hoping that my next couple of terms will be as easy as I am planning on them being. I have also been thinking a lot about the future. One of those things in my immediate future are deciding on what internships to apply for and where I want to spend my Fall 2011 term. I'm kind of thinking about Tokyo, but that will require a little more looking into.
So this has been my random blog post for the month, maybe November will prove to be an inspiring month of writing. It's already included some great reading, here is a link to a great post I read about Construction Worker uniforms in Japan. Very cool.
Happy reading & blogging my friends!
Today I am in the mood to write, but all of those could-be blogs that are floating around in my head require a little research, or uploading pictures, or other terribly difficult tasks like that. So instead I start reading what my friends are writing about. Everyone has so many interesting things going on in their life, it's great to hear about it.
In my life, I am currently swamped at school with one of the busiest terms of college I have ever had. This was unexpected, and I am hoping that my next couple of terms will be as easy as I am planning on them being. I have also been thinking a lot about the future. One of those things in my immediate future are deciding on what internships to apply for and where I want to spend my Fall 2011 term. I'm kind of thinking about Tokyo, but that will require a little more looking into.
So this has been my random blog post for the month, maybe November will prove to be an inspiring month of writing. It's already included some great reading, here is a link to a great post I read about Construction Worker uniforms in Japan. Very cool.
Happy reading & blogging my friends!
Friday, October 15, 2010
What is Steam Punk?
This blog might very well turn into a fashion blog if I'm not careful, I've been noticing so many new things and attending some very interesting fashion events. Not to mention I'm in a designing mode, so there might as well be some created fashions from me!
Anyways, I had recently been asked by a couple different friends about the subcategory of "steam punk." I just thought of what the style would mean by just applying the word "punk" and didn't try to look into it further. Then, on that wonderful website we just can't resist, facebook, I noticed a steam punk fashion show. Upon looking in the gallery of the past shows, I knew then that I was totally wrong on what this style is.
After viewing these pictures I went to the reliable information source of Wikipedia, and discovered that Steam Punk became popular in the 1980's and was derived from the Victorian era when machine use of steam was invented. This style also incorporates an element of fantasy, with many people's costumes eluding to the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.
In my opinion, steam punk is sort of like Cosplay (people dress up as anime characters), except that you get to make up your own character, and it can be applied to more than just your dress.
Here are some photos of the steam punk style that I like:
If you google images you can get a good feel for the style, people will be more eccentric or more conservative. Now you know!
Anyways, I had recently been asked by a couple different friends about the subcategory of "steam punk." I just thought of what the style would mean by just applying the word "punk" and didn't try to look into it further. Then, on that wonderful website we just can't resist, facebook, I noticed a steam punk fashion show. Upon looking in the gallery of the past shows, I knew then that I was totally wrong on what this style is.
After viewing these pictures I went to the reliable information source of Wikipedia, and discovered that Steam Punk became popular in the 1980's and was derived from the Victorian era when machine use of steam was invented. This style also incorporates an element of fantasy, with many people's costumes eluding to the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.
In my opinion, steam punk is sort of like Cosplay (people dress up as anime characters), except that you get to make up your own character, and it can be applied to more than just your dress.
Here are some photos of the steam punk style that I like:
If you google images you can get a good feel for the style, people will be more eccentric or more conservative. Now you know!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Happiest Moment
On Tuesday this week, I was sitting in the Memorial Union (MU) cafeteria, doing some sketches for my fashion illustration class. As I was sitting there, a young lady came up to my table and asked me with her broken English if she could ask me a few questions for one of her classes. I of course agreed, I have a two hour break anyways. She asked me some general questions about me as a person and what I do, this assignment was to help her with her English, as she is from Saudi Arabia.
It was a very pleasant experience, this young lady had a beautiful smile and just a great attitude. One of the questions she asked me was, "What was the happiest moment of your life?" I had to think about that a little bit, even now I have no idea how to answer that. I ended up telling her getting my brown belt, because I figured it would be easier for her to spell.
Even after she left I am still pondering this question. What has been the happiest moment of my life? Has any experience been so much greater than all of the others? I think about all of the things that are important in my life, like my family and friends. My family has always been there for me (and I am very lucky for that), so I can't really identify one particular moment with them that made me happier than any other moment. Friends come and go, some stick around a lot longer than others. I think that the friends that I have now, are truly great people to be friends with and I think that I will remain friends with these people for the rest of my life. But then again, I don't identify any one of these friends as my "best" friend, so again, it is impossible for me to say that any moment with any of these people have been the happiest moment in all my life.
So that makes me think, maybe I haven't had the happiest moment in my life? Will it be when I meet the man of my dreams? Will it be when I get married? When I have children? When I start a company of my own? I'm not sure I will ever be able to say what the happiest moment of my life is. My life is so full of many, many happy moments it makes it difficult for any one to stand out to me. I think that this probably has to do with my attitude on many things in my life.
Some people might think of me as a person with no opinions, just kind of "go-with-the-flow" type of attitude. It is kind of true, but maybe not in the way they think. I think, that because I find I like so many things, whether it be music, movies or people, that it makes it impossible for me to chose my favorite. I am ok with this, because this means that I will continue to life a life with many happy moments and good things, and not have to be focused on one single "Happiest moment of my life."
That being said, I am curious to know what my friend's happiest moments are. What are they?
It was a very pleasant experience, this young lady had a beautiful smile and just a great attitude. One of the questions she asked me was, "What was the happiest moment of your life?" I had to think about that a little bit, even now I have no idea how to answer that. I ended up telling her getting my brown belt, because I figured it would be easier for her to spell.
Even after she left I am still pondering this question. What has been the happiest moment of my life? Has any experience been so much greater than all of the others? I think about all of the things that are important in my life, like my family and friends. My family has always been there for me (and I am very lucky for that), so I can't really identify one particular moment with them that made me happier than any other moment. Friends come and go, some stick around a lot longer than others. I think that the friends that I have now, are truly great people to be friends with and I think that I will remain friends with these people for the rest of my life. But then again, I don't identify any one of these friends as my "best" friend, so again, it is impossible for me to say that any moment with any of these people have been the happiest moment in all my life.
So that makes me think, maybe I haven't had the happiest moment in my life? Will it be when I meet the man of my dreams? Will it be when I get married? When I have children? When I start a company of my own? I'm not sure I will ever be able to say what the happiest moment of my life is. My life is so full of many, many happy moments it makes it difficult for any one to stand out to me. I think that this probably has to do with my attitude on many things in my life.
Some people might think of me as a person with no opinions, just kind of "go-with-the-flow" type of attitude. It is kind of true, but maybe not in the way they think. I think, that because I find I like so many things, whether it be music, movies or people, that it makes it impossible for me to chose my favorite. I am ok with this, because this means that I will continue to life a life with many happy moments and good things, and not have to be focused on one single "Happiest moment of my life."
That being said, I am curious to know what my friend's happiest moments are. What are they?
Monday, January 11, 2010
I have decided!
Hello!
So my writing everyday of break didn't go as plan, but I'm sure you readers of mine don't mind, right? I just wanted to let everyone know that I decided to add a blog about my bartending experiences:) It will include drink recipes, alcohol research, and probably many other things. Don't worry though, I still plan on keeping this blog going too!
Check it out:
So my writing everyday of break didn't go as plan, but I'm sure you readers of mine don't mind, right? I just wanted to let everyone know that I decided to add a blog about my bartending experiences:) It will include drink recipes, alcohol research, and probably many other things. Don't worry though, I still plan on keeping this blog going too!
Check it out:
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